mni ISO 639
মৈতৈলোন্ (Meiteilon) Autonyms
Meitei
Visualizations
A language of India
- ISO 639
- mni
- Alternate Names
- Kathe, Kathi, Manipuri, Meetei, Meeteilon, Meitei Manipuri, Meiteilon, Meiteiron, Meithe, Meithei, Menipuri, Mitei, Mithe, Ponna
- Autonym
- মৈতৈলোন্ (Meiteilon)
- Population
- 1,760,000 in India (2011 census). Total users in all countries: 1,775,000.
- Location
- Assam state: Cachar and Dima Hasao; Mainly Manipur state; Nagaland state: Dimapur, Kohima, Peren, Phek; Mizoram state: Aizwal and Kolasibi; possibly some in nearby states.
- Language Maps
- India: Index map, Northeastern Bangladesh
- Language Status
- 2 (Provincial). Statutory provincial language in Manipur State (1992, Constitution, Amendment 71).
- Classification
- Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Sal, Kuki-Chin-Naga
- Dialects
- Meitei, Loi (Chakpa), Pang-gal (Manipuri Muslim, Pang-gan). Intelligibility of Meitei in Bangladesh is difficult. Those in Bangladesh may understand India Meitei better than vice versa possibly due to more language change in Bangladesh over the years. India Meitei is more standard. Intelligibility between dialects in Bangladesh definitely sufficient to understand complex and abstract discourse. Lexical similarity: 80%–86% between dialects in Bangladesh, 65%–70% between Bangladesh and India varieties.
- Typology
- SOV; postpositions; articles before noun heads; 25 consonants and 6 vowels; tonal (2 tones).
- Language Use
- Also use Hindi [hin]. Used as L2 by Aimol [aim], Anal [anm], Chiru [cdf], Chothe Naga [nct], Gangte [gnb], Hmar [hmr], Inpui Naga [nkf], Kharam Naga [kfw], Koireng [nkd], Kom [kmm], Lamkang [lmk], Mao Naga [nbi], Maram Naga [nma], Monsang Naga [nmh], Moyon Naga [nmo], Purum [pub], Tarao Naga [tro], Thado Chin [tcz], Thangal Naga [nki].
- Language Development
- Literacy rate in L1: 73% (2005 BI). Literacy rate in L2: 69% for Manipur (2001 census). Taught in primary and secondary schools through grade 5 and as subject thereafter in Manipur state. Literature. Radio. Videos. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible: 1984–2019.
- Writing
- Bengali (Bangla) script [Beng]. Braille script [Brai]. Meitei Mayek script [Mtei].
- Other Comments
- Mainly rural. 7 clans (Mangang (Ningthouja), Luwang. Khuman (Khumal), Moirang, Angom, Khaba-nganba, and Sarang-leisangthem). Hindu, Christian, Muslim, traditional religion.
- Language Resources
- OLAC resources in and about Meitei
Also Spoken in
- Location
- Sylhet division: Moulvi Bazar district, Kamalganj subdistrict; Sylhet city.
- Dialects
- Hindu Meitei, Pangan (Pangal).
- Language Status
- 5 (Dispersed)
- Language Use
- Vigorous. Home, village. Used by all. Positive attitudes. Also use Bengali [ben], especially youth. Also use Bishnupuriya [bpy]. Also use Sylheti [syl]. Used as L2 by Bishnupuriya [bpy].
- Language Development
- Literacy rate in L1: Low. Literacy rate in L2: 70% in Bengali [ben]. Those literate in Bengali are able to read Meitei but have little practice doing so.
- Other Comments
- Preferred name is Meitei Manipuri. Outsiders don’t distinguish between Meitei and Bishnupriya, calling both of them Manipuri. Meitei is a well-developed language with much literature in India, but little is available in Bangladesh. Hindu, Muslim. View other languages of Bangladesh
Language Name
Meitei
User Population
15,000 in Bangladesh (2003). 300 monolinguals.
